Sunday, December 14, 2008

The Polar Express

The great "Polar Express". We did this activity two years ago, and decided we needed to repeat the experience. The enthusiasm for the event (which hasn't been a surprise) has been at an all time high....After spending the night alone in Lake Oswego Friday night, the rest of the participants joined us there and we carravaned together eastward - towards Hood River. VERY SADLY, the Quigleys were unable to join us, which was especially sad as it was partially Erica's birthday that we were celebrating (and even worse, her birthday was actually yesterday), but Adam had to head to Urgent Care for a 105.6 fever. He was treated with antibiotics for a nasty ear infection, but they had to skip the whole event. In addition, my parents weren't able to make it either. We missed them all....

Excitement was high at the "Depot" where we waited - Michele and I snuck outside and posed for a "twin shot" with John...Once aboard, the kids were asked to give up their tickets, only to have the conductor use his hole punch to create snow for the kids...And, Brayden, partaking in the rich cocoa provided by the train attendantsThese gals were so sweet, and although I wasn't a fan of the kid-friendly-temperature cocoa, the gingersnaps were awesome!A fun part of the train ride is the Christmas carols we all get to sing together - Mikayla got into it all...And, along came Santa - sharing a moment here with EllisonAnd, a sweet smile from NataliaThis picture cracks me up - it just looks like Brayden is trying to pull one over on Santa...Santa bestowed each of the kids with a special bell (just like in the book) - Mikayla was using it here to sign "Jingle Bells"We loved this picture - they were trying to spot wildlife in the woods along the train route (of course, we were hoping the snow would start falling anytime too!)The boys went ahead and opened their window vs. dealing with the condensation...Maybe not their ideal way to spend their anniversary weekend (Michael and Michele have been married 16 years as of Friday) - but they obviously had a good time, nonetheless....And, here's a shot of the Meyers family (sans Andrew who was peering out the window) - all snuggled togetherAs all of the pictures illustrate, we had a blast -and the fun continued when we all returned back to the same hotel and hung out together. It's so great to have our kids be old enough that they can navigate through the joint hallway we all shared and move from room to room while us adults were able to just hang in one of them.

All in all, a great time. Here's hoping the fun continues with that anticipated snow arrival and a "no school" day tomorrow!

About Me

1 Peter 3:15
"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."
-----While I can't say that is my "life verse", it is one of my favorites and I can only hope and pray that the content in this blog reflects the hope and joy in my heart because of the relationship my family and I share in Christ.
We are a family of four, my son is 16, my daughter 14, and as for my husband and I, well we've been married for 19 years - with much more "better" than "worse" to report.
I spend my days taking care of the home, interacting with the amazing friends and family in my life- and on weekdays, watching our best friends' precious daughter, Whitley - such an extraordinary gift!
While this blog was created for the purposes of keeping family members up to date on the happenings of our life as well as recording our memories, I hope that if you choose to stop by and read a post or two, you'll find yourself encouraged by the musings of this all-too-imperfect mom.